Well, this part is actually about water. Yeah, I know, I know the title says “Foods For Weight Loss”… I just like keeping it a part of the same series even though we should call it Water For Weight Loss… ha.
Water Helps
So first let’s talk about water. Most people have heard of the vital importance of water to our bodies. Our bodies are mostly water. Yeah, strange, I know… but we are 60-90% water… I like a wide range cause everyone is different, and some people are really dry. That was joke.
Water is the medium for so many different processes in the body. It helps to digest, breakdown, and excrete our food. It helps dissolve and distribute vitamins and minerals through the blood. It helps to remove toxins. It helps to regulate body temperature. It helps, it helps, it helps. Get the picture?
So is water, water? Are all waters the same? First of all, the water in our bodies is very different in that it contains all sorts of proteins and like I mentioned it carries vitamins, minerals, and even toxins. 
Problems? Who’s Got Problems?
Water that you drink may have all sorts of stuff in it. It may have chemicals leftover from your local wastewater treatment plant (have you visited one of those?). After all, there are regulations requiring water to be at a certain pH. So how about they just throw some stuff to change the pH, like lye… no one is gonna get hurt by that… not like in this article. Oh yeah, and to disinfect let’s use toxic chlorine… which while a lot of it may evaporate it will also form cancerous compounds called chloramines which will not.
So I guess you can already tell that I highly recommend that you filter your water. I have written about it in previous posts (like here and here) and in doing further research since then I am even more convinced that you should filter your water. I have also studied some of the so called science against filtering your water. That is, the scientists who call it pseudoscience to drink filtered water. They clearly haven’t been to a third world country.¬†
Just because Americans are not infected by dangerous bacteria that we know about in a rapid manner does not mean that we are not taking in toxic substances in our water that accumulate and/or cause chronic illness or illness that presents itself later in life. Common sense.
What To Look For, What To Look For…
Before moving on, I will tell you what I believe to be the best water. 
1. Water that is clean, natural, and unadulterated as God intended.
2. Water that has a neutral pH or is slightly alkaline (def on the alkaline side as opposed to acidic).
3. Water that preferably has an anti-oxidant effect on the body.
4. Water that is preferably ‘wetter’… that is, has a lower surface tension (it’s a better solvent).
By having lower surface tension, and by being a better solvent (being able to dissolve things easier), water is not only better able to help the body assimilate and transfer nutrients it is also better able to remove toxins.
Water as an anti-oxidant? When studying water, you may hear a lot about ORP or Oxidation Reduction Potential… basically it’s ability to act like an anti-oxidant and reduce oxidative stress on the body. Most water you drink does not have this ability and it has an oxidizing effect in your body (think about all those blueberries you eat because they are high in anti-oxidants… this has the opposite effect). That is why so many people buy something like an ionizer as it creates water that has this anti-oxidant potential by using electricity. I think this is one of the areas where you can cheat on when looking for water, especially if you are getting good water otherwise (judging from the points mentioned).
So What Can/Shoulda/Coulda I Do?
Judging from these things it would be best to get your water from a clean mountain stream… which for many is not an option. So many people while understanding the importance of clean water look to all sorts of filters, gadgets, and devices. Stuff like reverse osmosis filters (I have had), distilled water (had), carbon filtered (had), ionizers (studied), natural substances to add to water (studied), and any combination of the above.
Reverse osmosis filters out everything. It is basically sterile water, which I do not think to be beneficial, especially over long term (it may be fine for short term cleansing and it tastes clean). In nature as God made it, there are many trace minerals in water that are excellent for the body and that make the water alkaline. Just like certain foods (mostly vegetables) can have an alkalizing effect on the body despite being digested in acid (we are not talking strictly about acid) so water can have the same effect by the minerals it provides.
So right away you can see it would be best to have a filter that after filtering out any impurities would also add back some minerals to be closer to or more like water found in nature as well as have an alkaline pH. So that rules out reverse osmosis water (long term) and distilled water. Even though these are clean waters they are acidic and have no trace minerals or electrolytes.
What about ionizers? While I think that ionizers can be a benefit to those who are sick, I think that they are unnecessary for most people. Many ionizers even add chemicals or substances to help them obtain the pH and water properties that they obtain. For the price there are much better options.
Simple carbon filters are a decent option but they usually do not add minerals back in, which leaves the water with an acid pH, and they usually do not make the water ‘wetter’ (do not lower surface tension), and they typically do not create water that has an anti-oxidant effect on the body.
After all of this further study, I like the Wellness Filter even more. The wellness filter not only has a regular carbon filter, but it also re-introduces minerals back into the water after filtering (creating an alkaline water), it introduces negative ions which help to get the water acting like an antioxidant (negative ORP), and it also gives a water that is noticeably ‘wetter’ (has a lower surface tension). I like how they have several options (from expensive whole house filters to pitchers) and even though some are built better than others they all have much better than average filtration. Of course if you never change your filters it is harder to notice. I can tell the difference between tap and even a really old filter (yeah, I know I forget sometimes). When I change the filter I usually can notice a marked difference in the water.
Common Sense… Come On Sense
Taste your water. Filtered water just tastes better. When I moved to Nashville, I couldn’t stand the taste of the tap water… it tastes like chorine. If nothing else do it for the taste! Food that you make from filter water tastes way better, tea tastes better, coffee tastes better, and on and on. Also, some of the obvious common sense things you can do and experiment with are watering plants with different waters and seeing how they respond.¬†
All water is not equal. Electricity affects it, magnetism affects it, and non-ionizing radiation definitely affects it (ie microwaving your water) and can buildup tremendous energy in water. We receive plenty enough electromagnetic radiation from computers and cell phones, who wants it affecting our food and water?
So What About Weight Loss?
This part 5 is no different than all the others in that, these are foods and water that help get the body in a state of equilibrium. They help you lose weight effectively if you are trying to lose weight. If you are not trying to lose weight they help you maintain your health. These are things that everyone should be doing anyway. Due to our ignorant society (I know I grew up completely ignorant about what I put in my mouth), it seems rather strange to many people and also makes it more difficult… no one said it would be easy… but it is definitely worth it.
If you are looking to lose weight, the better your water the better you will be able to shed pounds especially if you have years of fake food in your body’s stored fat (your arms, thighs, breasts, belly, butt, etc) (ie. you have drank or still drink diet sodas, and eat things like artificial sugars, flavors, colors, and trans-fats).
Wow
Wow, that was long. I hope you were able to stick with all of that. I will wrap all of this up next week and add any additional info as well as some grocery shopping ideas and menu ideas based on this series.
If you have any questions or something you would like to discuss, feel free to email me: tim_at_ettlt.com
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Foods For Weight Loss – Part 1
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 2
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 3
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 4
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 6
Tim is a health researcher and educator based out of Nashville, TN. Connect with him on Instagram @eattodaytolivetomorrow.
